Deeds of heroism and bravery : $b The book of heroes and personal daring
History
Deeds of heroism and bravery : $b The book of heroes and personal daring
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
There were many, though, on both sides who felt that no glory came
to aviation from methods of frightfulness and reprisals for such
frightfulness and to the last there were instances of clean, brave
fights. One of the last duels on the knightly lines of conduct was
that in which Captain Immelman, “The Falcon” of the German army, met
Captain Ball, one of the most brilliant airmen of the British Royal
Flying Corps. Immelman had a record of some fifty-one British airplanes
downed. Captain Ball wanted to wipe out this record, and the daring
German at the same time; so one day he flew over the German lines and
dropped the following note:
“Captain Immelman:
I challenge you to a man-to-man fight to take place this afternoon
at two o’clock. I will meet you over the German lines. Have your
anti-aircraft guns withhold their fire, while we decide which is the
better man. The British guns will be silent.
“Ball.”
Ball was by that time quite renowned. The Germans were aware of his
official record. He had taken part in twenty-six combats, had destroyed
eleven hostile machines, driven two out of control, and forced several
others to land.
In these combats Captain Ball had gone up alone. On one occasion he had
fought six hostile machines, twice he had fought five machines, and
once four. When leading two other British aeroplanes he had attacked
an enemy formation of eight. On each of these occasions he had brought
down at least one enemy.
The Germans knew all that, but evidently Ball had picked an opponent
worthy of him not only in skill but in courage and chivalry, for that
day the answer to the note was dropped from a German machine:
“Captain Ball:
Your challenge is accepted. The guns will not interfere. I will meet
you promptly at two.
“Immelman.”
CHEERS FROM OPPOSING TRENCHES
Far and wide along the trenches the word was spread. Firing stopped
as though a flag of truce had been hoisted. Germans and English left
covers and sought positions of vantage from which to watch the battle
royal. At the appointed time both flyers rose promptly and made their
way over “No Man’s Land.”
“Cheering arose,” relates an eye-witness.
“There were wild cheers for Ball. The Germans yelled just as vigorously
for Immelman.
“The cheers from the trenches continued; the Germans’ increased in
volume; ours changed into cries of alarm.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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